The Last Avenger
by ShaksieGirlBenniBoy
Summary: Protecting New York City is a big job, can one turtle with a lot of emotional baggage do it alone? His brothers aren't there to watch his back anymore. He's on his own. My first fanfic. Please R
1. Chapter 1

Installment one.  
Please R&R.  
I do not own TMNT.

New York City was quiet. The streets were barren since criminals had finally gotten wise and learned to hole up unless absolutely necessary. Too many of their own had been killed while walking the streets. Even disguises and protective clothing had not kept the avenger away. Many had almost come to believe that the criminals had died of supernatural means, while more practical thinkers believed that there was a mole on the inside. This left many crime lords with major rebellions and severe bloodshed on their hands from within their own ranks.  
A lone shadow kept watch over the city from the top of the former foot headquarters. Shredder had been vanquished nearly seven years ago and the residing foot had either been killed or fled for their lives following an epic battle that nearly destroyed the tall tower. This shadow was the bloody avenger. He had long ago thrown away the rule that had previously governed him, fight hard but only to win. Never take a life unless necessary.  
The less-than-human crime fighter smiled grimly. It seemed like it was always necessary, especially when it came down to keeping criminals off of the streets.  
The vigilante suddenly launched himself into space and fell nearly thirty stories before landing lightly on the next roof. He raced across the rooftops, taking full advantage of everything that was offered him. He finally stopped, resting on a street lamp.  
The minor scuffle that had attracted his attention appeared to be nothing more than an idiot purple dragon harassing a young woman. She tried to fight back but her efforts were weak.  
The vigilante back flipped off of the lightpost and landed in a crouch. "Leave the lady alone." Two steps forward brought the crime fighter into the light, revealing him to his new victim. He stood about five and a half feet tall, but his most striking feature was that he was green. Closer inspection showed that his powerful hands only had three fingers and he had a turtle shell growing out of his back. He was, in fact, a turtle that had been mutated nearly twenty years ago by one of Shredder's experiments. How ironic that Shredder's creations ended up being his doom. His eyes, cold and hard as ice, sized up the thug through a black bandanna that encircled his head, a tribute to his past.  
The purple dragon, instead of cowering in fear or running for his life, chuckled and brandished a large knife that he had hidden in the back of his pants.  
The vigilante rolled his eyes. Why would anyone hide a knife in his pants? And did this guy really think that, with only that knife, he could defeat the one who took down Shredder's bodyguard, Hun, as well as most of the foot ninjas in his employ? The turtle cracked his knuckles, ready to have a little fun with the punk.  
Suddenly, his ninja reflexes kicked in, causing him to duck as a chain with a heavy weight on the end flew harmlessly over his head. He turned to face this new attacker and smiled grimly. He was surrounded by purple dragons, each holding their weapon of choice. The knife wielder and young lady joined them, the woman pulling a short sword from a hidden sheath on her back.  
The turtle drew a katana from his back and nunchuks from his belt. The katana for close range attacks and the nunchuks to ward off longer range ones. He fell into a defensive crouch, katana in front and nunchuks whirling above his head.  
This would be his most challenging battle yet.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is part number 2! Sorry to keep you waiting. Please read and review. Which turtle do you think he is? Let me know please I haven't figured it out yet!

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

The turtle stood at attention, weapons at the ready. The purple dragons seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move and who was he to deny them? The black-banded vigilante leaped at the first of the purple dragons, which just so happened to be the knife wielder. A swift swipe with the nunchuks took care of him. This brought the entire gang of purple dragons to life.

The turtle dodged an incoming attack from another knife-wielder and caught his assailant right underneath the arm with his katana. At the same time, he blocked a blow from a young woman who had surprising strength. He grunted and whipped the nunchuks into the side of her head, leaving a sizeable dent. Two more purple dragons took her place as she fell.

The turtle continued hacking, slashing, and smashing as he fought his way through the ranks of fighters. He lost one of his nunchucks to a whirling chain and replaced it with a sharp sai. The three pronged instrument seemed to beg for more as he whirled, ducked, parried, and attacked.

Pain exploded in his shoulder and he grimaced as he ripped out the offending arrow. He threw the sai at the only archer, its blade whistling as it flew over the crowd and pinned the man to the wall behind him.

His katana was still flashing furiously as he warded off three attacks and impaled another fighter. The crowd was beginning to thin, but the wounded turtle started to falter as he tired. He roared as a blade scraped his ribs, the pain giving him fresh rage to renew his attack. "You really shouldn't have done that." His eyes narrowed and he practically growled as he threw himself into the battle with renewed fury, concentrating on the area where the attack had come from.

The purple dragons could not stand against his attacks and, instead, tried a new tactic. They pressed forward, trying to overwhelm the lone turtle. The masked vigilante drew a second katana and began to strategically cut down his assailants. One of the katanas was ripped from his grasp as he tangled with a young woman who wielded a baseball bat and a teenage boy who attacked with a length of pipe.

The turtle decided against grabbing another of his weapons, opting instead to use both hands with one katana. This gave him more power in his swings and seemed more effective against the onslaught of fighters than anything yet. Four more dragons were cut down before they managed to injure the vigilante again. He ducked under a blow and kicked the offender out of the mass of people as another snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the leg. He let out a roar and turned, plunging his remaining katana into the hapless victim.

He left his katana in the corpse of the teen and pulled a long bo staff out of the back of his belt. He cleared out a circle for himself, taking out another four assailants in the process. By now, the turtle was breathing heavily, his arm and ribs screamed in pain with every move he made and his leg threatened to give out on him. He faced off against the last dozen Purple Dragons, gritting his teeth through the pain.

The bo staff hummed as he skillfully spun it in his hand, doing the same with the remaining sai that he had pulled out of his belt. Both suddenly stopped as the exhausted defender backed up to a wall and got into a defensive position. Right now, he was grateful for his training in the way of the ninja. He closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to calm himself enough to sense any impending attacks.

The turtle concentrated hard. _Ok, one's coming. Wait for it, wait for it, NOW!_ The bo staff caught the attacker in the midriff, winding him. A second blow finished him off and the rest of the purple dragons seemed too wary to attack, giving the tired avenger a brief moment to rest.

The lull ended when the sai flew through the air and cleanly killed one of the waiting dragons. The rest rioted and raced forward, only to be met with flailing fists and feet and a whirling bo staff. The last one managed to land a blow on the turtle's head with a crowbar before earning himself a broken neck.

The lone survivor of the battle stood in the battlefield, breathing hard. His black mask fluttered in the sudden breeze that graced his cheek. When he finally regained his breath, the sky had changed from deep and endless black to light gray, signaling the coming of dawn.

Gathering his discarded weapons, he hastily limped to the nearest manhole, grimacing and holding his throbbing shoulder. He barely managed to get the cover off in his weakened state. He gingerly stepped down the ladder, closing the opening once he was clear.

The trek through the sewers seemed longer than any he had ever taken. Each step forced a painful grunt from his lips. He kept his hand pressed to his shoulder to stem the bleeding, but it did little good and he felt himself weakening as he left a trail of blood in the sewer water.

He could barely see to activate the mechanisms to open the door to his lair; everything was fuzzy and tinted black. He stumbled to a first aid kit and ripped it open, grabbing the gauze and disinfectant. Wrapping the worst of his injuries, the turtle limped over to the couch, falling onto it before losing consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Raphgirl1026: You're right, but Mikey also had a turn at being a vigilante. Thanks for the review and the compliment!

Please R&R guys! I need input to know where to take this story! Who is the mysterious black-banded turtle? How should this end? What happened to the others?

I don't own TMNT. Please enjoy!

He didn't know how long he had been out, but it was too long. His muscles protested as he tried to stand up. He limped to the kitchen and pawed around in the fridge, trying to remember what had happened to the last few slices of pizza. He found the week-old pizza at the back and pulled it out.

Wolfing down the pizza, the injured turtle meandered to his room. He sat on his bed and peeked at his wounds beneath the bandages. Only one looked like it would need serious attention, the others would just add to the multitude of scars that covered his body.

He re-wrapped the dressings, stopping as something on the wall caught his eye. Four masks and a stick were hanging on the wall. He blinked away the memories that they brought and stood. The items seemed to draw him nearer, even though he tried to resist. His hand moved on its own accord to touch the stick. The top was worn smooth from constant use, while the bottom was hard and slightly cracked. He caressed it, almost lovingly. He steeled himself against the tears as the memories forced themselves upon him.

_The four turtles were outnumbered, as usual, but this time the brothers had been transported to the past. If anything was changed here, it would mess up the time stream. It was only a matter of time before they were sent back because of the slingshot effect; they just had to survive that long. _

_The knights awaited their king's order to attack, horses restless and ready. The ninjas prepared to defend themselves as the signal was given and the warriors raced forward. It would have been an easy fight, except that none of the knights were to be harmed. _

_Leo deflected lances and swords with his katanas; his task becoming increasingly difficult as the knights swarmed around him. Don was holding his own with his staff, ducking, dodging, and parrying. They soon stood back to back and the knights closed in around them._

_Mikey was having a blast cracking jokes and harassing the knights as they continued to miss him. His wisecracking was brought to a halt as a knight buried an ax deep into his shell, knocking him to the ground. Raph was by his side in an instant, sais flailing as he protected his little brother with his life. Mikey groaned and struggled to orient himself, wincing at the pain of his split shell._

_Master Splinter was a whirlwind. He seemed to be everywhere at once. The knights were more than a little daunted by an enemy with such speed and ferocity, but they had to obey orders. _

_Raph was felled by a massive club that overpowered and strength that he had left and the knights parted to let their king through. The proud royal raised his gleaming sword to land the final blow. Raph and Mikey closed their eyes, waiting for the pain.. They felt a mild tingling in their legs, was this how it felt to die? They opened their eyes to see blue light swirling around them in a thick mist. Through the mist, they could see Master Splinter on the ground, bleeding heavily._

_The turtles were too stunned to react as they were whisked away to their own time. They ended up in the lair, in exactly the same positions that they had been in when they were teleported. _

_Leo and Don cheered. They were finally home! Mikey and Raph did not move and the other two took notice. "What's wrong guys? We're home!" Leo tried to cheer them up, he received only blank stared in response. _

_Don looked around. "Hey, where's Master Splinter?" He looked at the shell-shocked brothers. "Oh." was all he could say before he fell to his knees on the ground. _

_Leo shook his head. "No! This can't be happening! We were supposed to come back together." He refused to accept the truth._

"_Leo." Don started._

"_No! He should be here with us!" Tears began to force themselves out of Leo's eyes._

"_The transporter only works is the subject is living. Master Splinter turned to dust as soon as we left." Leo collapsed. All four turtles were crying as they crowded around their weeping brother, strengthening each other as a family. _


	4. Chapter 4

Lunamayn: That's true he would. Although, Raph would have had just as much guilt too because he was supposed to be protecting Mikey when Master Splinter was killed trying to save both of them. This turtle has had almost 10 years to practice with his weapons and training though, it could be any of them.

Here's the next part! Yay! Thanks for the reviews, and follows! Please keep it up!

Don't own TMNT

The vigilante shook the memories out of his head. Now was no time to get caught up in the past. He had to dress his wounds again and resume training, that was the only thing that could keep his mind off of his family. He walked out, hesitating as his eyes swept across the colorful masks that hung on the wall next to the staff, orange, blue, purple, red.

The first aid kit was still on the floor where he had left it. He cleaned them again and re-wrapped the bandages, testing the flexibility and movement to be sure that he could still fight with them. When he was satisfied that they would not hinder his movements, he picked up his discarded weapons and headed to the training room.

The training room was much larger than the rest of the lair, mainly because it had to hold all of the weapons and equipment that any warrior could ever need. A few sets of weights sat in the corner next to a worn down bench press and an equally worn down squat machine. He headed to these first, part of his normal routine.

After nearly an hour of strength training, the turtle was satisfied that his head was in the game. He next headed over to a few practice dummies and a reinforced punching bag. He attacked the dummies with a ferocity and speed that would have sent most of his enemies running, if he ever actually fought them with all that he had. The memories tried to force themselves into his mind as he fought.

_MIkey seemed to be getting better, after the infection from his split shell had almost killed him._

Whack! The vigilante roundhouse kicked the stuffed man's head.

"_You should take it easy Mikey, we don't want you getting hurt again." Don tried to tell his younger sibling._

Thunk! A sai buried itself deep into the head.

"_Nah, I'm fine guys. Really! Please let me go!" Don looked at Leo, who nodded. Mikey whooped his excitement._

Crack! The bo staff came into play now.

_The purple dragons surrounded the four brothers about halfway through their patrol. _

Rip! The dummy's head came off with the force of the blow.

_None of the brothers were ready for the beating that they received that night, least of all Mikey. The dragons took him while Raph, Don, and Leo fought to get him back._

Sching! The katanas eagerly flew into the training.

"_Why can't we find him?! It's almost daylight and those purple dragons aren't exactly the brightest bunch. They should be easy to track!" Raph yelled angrily. They had been searching half the night for their little brother, after they had picked themselves up from their defeat._

The black banded turtle obliterated the dummy with the katanas.

"_Guys, there was a huge purple dragon meeting last night. Apparently they were cage fighting again." Don told his brothers._

The katanas dropped to the floor and the turtle leaned his head against the punching bag, surrendering to the memories and the tears that they brought.

"_But that only happens when they have a big prize. . . to fight. . . over. You don't mean?" Raph tried to wrap hid mind around this new piece of information._

_Don nodded. "I found this when I was trying to find parts for my machine." He held out his hand. On it was a scrap of cloth, dyed orange. It was ripped and tattered, almost to the point where it was difficult to tell what it had once been._

_But Leo knew. He groaned and fell to his knees. Raph looked shocked and sick at the same time. Don bowed his head, fighting his tears._

_All three turtles wondered the same thing, how many more losses could their small family take?_

The punching bag groaned under the stress of the turtle's frustrated punches. A roundhouse kick pushed it over the edge and it collapsed to the floor, leaking stuffing out of old stab wounds.

The obvious answer to that question was none. Both of his brothers, as well as himself, had gone into mourning, secluding themselves unless it was time to go out on patrol.

His family had been ripped apart. The vigilante clenched his fists, he would avenge them! No matter what it took.

He tightened his mask and grinned. "Let's do this!" He yelled to no one as he gathered up his weapons and shoved them back into their respective sheaths. It was time to go on patrol and he sincerely hoped that someone would be stupid enough to cross him.

Lunamayn: I didn't kill Mikey off because of your commen;, this was in progress when you reviewed. Sorry.


	5. Chapter 5

NataljaMenathil: They were trying to protect Mikey during the PD fight. They took most of the hits for him, just like Master Splinter did. And you're completely right about that, you can't tell for sure if it'll be final. I might have a few surprises up my sleeve. J

I'm sorry it's been so long. Life and school decided to catch up with me. Not fun. Expect infrequent updates from now on because I am trying to get a job and I have extra stuff in my day that I didn't have before.

Please review! I have been loving the feedback so far!

I don't own TMNT.

The turtle sat on a ledge, his feet dangling over into space. The twenty story drop would be exhilarating, but pointless. Nothing could keep his mind off his brothers. It was a quiet evening too, of all the nights for the crime in New York to get the hint! Not even a squabbling couple broke up the boring night.

The vigilante stood up and turned around, his back to space. How could the city that never sleeps decide to let him down and take a snooze? He growled in frustration and launched into a back flip, his momentum flinging him to the next rooftop, ten feet away and fifteen feet down.

As soon as his feet hit the roof, he front flipped off into a freefall. He landed in a small park. It looked so familiar, why? He hadn't been around here for years, yet he felt like it was only yesterday. A giant tree stood in the very center of the grassy area. As if in a trance, the turtle moved toward it, raising his hand to brush three scratches that had bitten deep into the wood. The poor tree had only just begun to heal, after so many years.

_A flash of sharp metal whizzed through the air, barely missing Donatello's head. The three pronged claw embedded itself into the great tree. Don took the opportunity to fiercely attack his opponent, tears streaming down his face every time he landed a blow._

The black-banded turtle gasped and wrenched his hand away from the offending trunk. He fought back tears as he berated himself. "I'm such a baby! Every memory brings back tears. I'm weak!" He tried to hold himself together as the memories burst from the dam.

_Leo took Mikey's disappearance harder than either of the others. He trained harder than he ever had before, trying to bury the sadness. He became more irritable than Raph, spending most of his time alone. He patrolled by himself, woke before the others, and answered questions in monosyllables and irritates grunts. His brothers finally got the hint and left him alone. _

_Don just brushed it off as a breakdown from losing Mike. Leo, after all, he resoned, had been closer to Mikey than anybody else. Raph would have been inclined to agree with him if he hadn't happened to walk in on Leo in his room. He was sharpening his katanas while ranting and cursing under his breath. A piece of paper on the desk in front of Leo caught Raph's eye and the invitation to dinner died on his lips. He was only able to read who the sender was before Leo grabbed it up with a snarl._

_Raph wasn't sure of what he'd seen because it had only been a split second, but he was too shocked to respond to Leo. The name on the bottom of the note was. . . Shredder! He stumbled to his room, completely baffled by this new turn of events. There was no way that Leo was in cahoots with Shredder, was there? _

_Don was worried about his brothers, neither was acting like themselves. Leo had been like that right after Mikey. . .but Raph, that had only happened recently. Why had he changed? What happened? Don had no answers and soon immersed himself in his inventions. _

_He didn't even bother to look up when the door to his lab opened, completely absorbed in his work. A weak tap on his shoulder destroyed his concentration and his experiment sizzled, the circuitry fried. He looked up in annoyance. "What do you want Raph?" Raph's face was deathly pale as he handed Don a piece of paper. _

_As soon as he read it, Don leaped up and charged out the door, nearly forgetting his bo staff. _

_The note floated to the floor, forgotten. In big black letters it read, __**If you don't want the rest of your family to have the same fate as your master and brother, you will come, alone, to the docks. We will barter your life for theirs. **_

**_-Shredder_**

_The two brothers arrived at the docks nearly too late. The foot were about to clamp chains onto Leo and take him away when Raph leaped onto the foot soldiers. He hollered instructions out to Don, but Don was way ahead of him. Leo seemed shocked to see his brothers and hardly resisted as the foot put him in his bonds. _

_"Leo! What are ya doin' ya idiot?!" Raph screamed at his older brother. _

_"If you fight, your brothers are doomed." The Shredder ominously informed Leo. Leo looked torn, how could he abandon his brothers like this? The answer hit him like a ton of bricks. The best way to keep his brothers safe was not to give in to Shredder's demands, but to fight with his life. _

_He leaped into action, easily overpowering his guards, even with the chains. He fought his way to Don and Raph. "Why didn't you tell us, bro?" Don asked, deftly blocking and returning blows. _

_Leo shook his head, "I was trying to protect you guys, probably not the best way to do it though." He grimaced as one of the foot ninja's swords glanced off his chains and sliced into his flesh. _

_"Uh, duh." Raph pointed out as he dodged a throwing star. "Why would you even think about surrendering to Shredder?"_

_Leo sighed. "Can we just drop it until we get home? I'll explain everything later."_

_Later never came. Shredder called in his Elite Ninja to finish the job. Between the foot and the elites, the turtles were no match and soon fell, but not without a fight. Raph earned himself a gash crossing his face from his left eyebrow to the right corner of his mouth, and Don got a nasty cut to his leg that left him limping for several weeks. _

_The Shredder kidnapped Leo anyway and their brother was dragged away, unconscious and bleeding. _

The black turtle sighed. Leo had been mutated by Shredder, specifically designed to eliminate the two remaining turtles. He had become a giant monstrosity, twice his normal size with metal spikes embedded in his shell. Three long metal claws were attached to his hands, sharpened to a deadly point. Because of Shredder's sick sense of humor, the turtle still had Leo's eyes and blue bandana. The battle had lasted for most of the night, here in this park. Don had nearly been beheaded by the monstrosity that had once been their brother.

Tears forced themselves down his cheeks. They had been forced to kill Leo-no they had not killed Leo. There was nothing left of their brother in that shell, but that didn't make it hurt any less. There was no way that they could let that beast run rampant through the city and they did what had to be done.

The vigilante wiped his eyes roughly. He raced back to his home and curled up in his bed, trying to shut out the world and the horrors that he had lived through. He cried and sobbed far into the day, wishing that either sleep or death would claim him, hoping for the latter. At least he would be able to see his brothers again. Neither came and soon he was throwing himself into his training again, trying to forget.

Definitely the hardest chapter to write so far. Don't like it? Love it? Who is the turtle? How does the last turtle die and why? How does this story end? Please let me know.

Warning: POV changes next chapter, don't want to give any spoilers away right now though! You'll just have to wait for it!


	6. Chapter 6

Ipod12: That would make the most sense, but it could easily be Donnie, seven years of guilt and rage can really change a person.

Sorry that it has taken so long. It's finally spring break and I can get on with my life! Read, Review, and Enjoy!

I don't own TMNT.

April O'Neil sighed as she put down her dusting rag. The happy faces in the picture frame watched her as she tidied up her living room, trying to ignore the stares of ghosts from her past. Many times she had told herself to take down the picture and let them go, but another part of her wouldn't let her go through with it.

When she had finished her chores and had no reason to ignore the picture anymore, she hesitantly approached the mantle. The instant that she focused on it her mind reeled with memories. Tears began to run down her face as she relived the worst days of her life.

"_I need to go blow off some steam." Raph declared, holstering his sais and cracking his knuckles. _

"_You and Don been fighting again?" April asked, receiving only a curt nod in reply. With the slamming of the door and a sharp blast of arctic wind, Raph was gone. April shook her head. The two surviving brothers had moved into her family's farmhouse only two weeks ago and they had been fighting nonstop. Each had a different way of grieving, Raph became brooding and violent, while Donnie became reclusive and icy. They often grated on each other and short tempers flared all too often. _

_Don walked into the kitchen, stony-faced, as usual, and opened the fridge. April finished preparing her snack and turned to the purple-banded turtle. "Don," she spoke gently. _

_He cut her off abruptly. "Don't ask. Some things are better left unsaid." He grabbed a couple of apples and a slice of pizza and shuffled back to his room. _

_A gunshot broke the uncomfortable silence that followed and Don immediately raced back out. "What was that?" he shouted, concern written all over his face._

_April threw her coat on and ran out the door, followed closely by Don. A loud whoop and the sound of a truck starting guided the frantic searchers as they raced through the snow. The truck drove off, leaving the pair in silence. _

"_Raph!"_

"_Raph!"_

"_Raphael!"_

"_Come on Raph, quit kidding around!"_

_The echoes of their cries faded from their ears and they were left in the soft dusk light. April scanned the forest, trying to get a bead on their location when something caught her eye. A splash of color in an otherwise monochrome scene. "Don! Over here!" she called and they investigated together. _

_A red, bloodstained mask lay in the snow. A trail of blood leaked along a large skid mark, which led to fresh tire tracks. Don fell to his knees. "No! He can't be gone!" He buried his face into his hands. "What have I done?" April stood at a distance, not sure how to comfort the grieving turtle. _

_They stayed like that for a long time before Don moved. He stood, eyes red but resolute, and looked at her. "My family is cursed" was all that he said that night, or the next week. April began to worry, Don never left his room, not to eat or exercise. Her appliances were malfunctioning from failed experiments in previous years and he had not invented a single thing. _

_April tried to voice her concerns to Casey, her boyfriend from back in New York, and he wept when he heard the news about Raph. He just explained Don's behavior as the mark of a grieving man. _

_One day, Don had just vanished. No footprints were left in the snow, no note left on the counter, no goodbye. Later, in a news report, it was said that a giant, mutated frog that had been terrorizing New York had been captured, killed, and disposed of. _

_April collapsed in grief, knowing that the last of her family was gone._

April was shocked out of her painful memories by someone grabbing her arms and shaking her. "Ape? You okay?" She blinked and stared into the face of her attacker, ready to defend herself. She relaxed when she realized that it was her husband. She fell into his embrace and tucked her face into his chest.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I was just. . . remembering." Casey ran his fingers through her hair, wiping away her tears with his free hand. He glanced at the picture.

Three days before the turtles had time-jumped, April convinced Splinter to let her take a picture of them. April and Casey were smiling side-by-side, Donnie was smiling, Raph was glaring at Mikey, Mikey was trying to give Leo rabbit ears, and Leo was patiently smiling at the camera, waiting for the shutter to go off so that he could reprimand Mikey. Splinter looked amused at the boy's antics and puzzled by the camera at the same time.

"I understand babe. Maybe we should put the picture away for awhile, or just do this." He reached out and tilted the picture until it was lying face-down on the mantle. April nodded.

"I just can't believe they're gone."

"I know. Me neither. But at least we have our memories. They will live on forever in our hearts." April nodded, sniffling and wiping her tears as he kissed her lovingly.

Sorry to end on such a sappy note, but I couldn't think of any other ways to end it. Hope you liked it. We switch back to the black-banded turtle next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Mauryn: Thanks for the encouragement! It's comments like yours that keep me writing!

Guest: I know! I'm really sorry! I'll try harder.

Sorry I took so long. Thanks for the excitement and reviews! I am loving your guys' comments and ideas! Please keep it up. I am more willing to update faster if I feel like people want it. Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!

The black banded turtle enforced his patrols harshly, trying to get rid of his memories. They haunted his every waking moment, and lately he had been reliving them as nightmares. No Purple Dragon, Foot Ninja, street gang, or small time criminal was safe from his fiery vengeance. When the city was quiet, he would brood on a rooftop or go for a midnight run across the town.

One time he was thinking about his brothers, reliving each terrible day in his head, when he heard a scuffle several blocks to his right. He immediately flew across the rooftops, trying to get in on the action. He paused, looking down at the fight. One man, skinny, shaggy brown hair, three days or so stubble on his chin, and dark street clothes, stood against forty assailants, some from the local gang, a couple of Purple Dragons, and a ton of off-duty foot ninja. The vigilante stood, awestruck. The newcomer wielded a length of pipe as if it were part of him!

The black turtle leaped down, straight into the fray, taking out several assailants with well-placed kicks. The lone fighter gaped at the mutant turtle as the huge group of fighters backed up a bit, none of them wanted to end up like his other victims.

The man looked like he was about to faint; probably caused by the wounds and bruises all over his body. The vigilante turtle took on the incoming horde and fought back to back with the hesitant fighter. Between the two of them, they soon cleared out their attackers.

The turtle turned to the man, who looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Hello." The vigilante said, trying to break the awkward silence between the two. The man only nodded. "Not much of a talker?" The man shook his head, regaining some of his composure. "Who are you?" The turtle asked.

The man hesitated. He opened his mouth to answer, but his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed before he could get a word out. The turtle quickly caught him and checked his pulse and breathing. He was okay there; maybe it was just the shock of seeing a creature that didn't exist.

The vigilante carried the stranger to his lair, laying him on the couch. The scrawny fighter didn't look like much, but he had the heart of a warrior. Something was bugging the turtle though, something about the way that the human fought. What was it? A memory tried to push itself to the surface, but stopped just out of reach. He growled in frustration.

What was he going to do with the human? His thoughts were interrupted as his stomach growled and flashed pain across his abdomen. When was the last time he had eaten? Yesterday? The day before? All the days passed in a blur now. He turned to go to the kitchen, hearing the breathing of the human change, signaling that he was waking. The turtle hadn't taken more than five steps before the human spoke, causing him to stop.

"How did I get back to the lair?" The vigilante slowly turned, his heart was thumping a million miles an hour and his mouth was dry.

The human was sitting up on the couch, looking around in confusion. Their eyes locked and the turtle's knees went weak.

"Raph?"

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	8. Chapter 8

Ok, sorry for the long wait, but school's finally out and I have time again! This is where our turtle finally starts coming to grips with his past. Enjoy!

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I don't own TMNT.

"Raph?"

The turtle had to steady himself before he fell. He was speechless as the human stood, also having to steady himself. They just stared at each other for what seemed like ages, unspoken words flowing between them.

The human took a few halting steps towards the vigilante, reaching out as if he was afraid that he would pass right through. The turtle grasped the man's hands and searched his eyes. They both began to weep, tears falling freely and frequently.

"You're alive!" they both yelled together.

The turtle laughed and pulled the human into a massive bear hug, which was returned with equal force. They sat down on the couch, both staring at the other, as if trying to catch up on all of the years that they had lost.

The human spoke first. "If I would have known you were alive, I never would have left! I would have kept searching for you until it killed me!" He tried to choke back the emotions that were closing up his throat.

The vigilante raised his hand, cutting off the rest of the rant. "I feel the same way, Don, but that's in the past. We're together now, let's focus on that." Donatello smiled and nodded. "You also might feel more comfortable turning off your little doohickey or whatever it is; you're home now."

Don grinned. "As blunt and to the point as ever Raph." So saying, he pushed a button on his watch and slowly his appearance changed to match Raph's, except for their respective scars. He shuddered. "Ahhh. I haven't turned that thing off for nearly five years. It feels good to be me again."

"So what happened to you? You know, after the whole, leaving "New York behind" thing?" Raphael asked his little brother.

Donatello laughed. "About the same thing that you have been. I left the Big Apple and settled in a smaller city that I had never heard of. I whipped up a gadget to let me pass for a human and started fighting crime. I took my anger out on the criminals." He looked down at his hands. "I'm not proud of what I did, but it had to be done." He looked up, trying to read Raph's expression.

Raph nodded. "I understand. I feel the same way, but sometimes it felt like they deserved it, especially those punks who tried to. . . never mind."

Don sat back. "So what happened to you? April and I thought that you had been, well, we assumed the worst."

"Well, I ran away after our fight and I was too preoccupied to notice the hunter. He shot me." Raph unconsciously grabbed his shoulder. "He thought I was dead, but he didn't know what I was. I managed to keep from passing out until he dragged me to his truck. I don't remember much after that, except that he tried to pawn me off to some zoo, but they didn't believe that he had an unidentified creature in his truck." Raph gazed into the distance as he brought back the buried memories. "Somehow he managed to sell me to a collector, who took care of me and nursed me back to health. I escaped before he tried to sell me to a traveling freak show." Raph blinked and looked at Donatello again. "After that, I kind of wandered my way back to New York City and hid in the tunnels for awhile, until a woman's screams brought me back into reality."

Don reached out and grasped Raph's hand, understanding and remorse were in his eyes.

Raph quickly blinked back threatening tears and abruptly stood. He started walking towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I-" he stopped himself. "_We_'ve got day-old pizza, some veggies, and possibly some Chinese."

Don smiled and stood. "Sure."

The reunited brothers had never had a better meal.

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	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys, been having a lot of trouble with this chapter. Sorry for the long wait.

I don't own TMNT.

Raph and Don talked through the night, remembering the good times with their brothers and Master Splinter. Raph showed Don a few new moves that he had come up with, and Don showed Raph some of his new gadgets. They slowly grew more comfortable with the fact that they were no longer alone.

Don soon started joining Raph on his patrols. They would race through the night, each trying to out-perform the other in fits of childish happiness. Neither turtle had experienced such light heartedness in so long that they had both imagined that they had lost the ability. They soon became closer than they had ever been, watching each other's backs on patrols with such intensity that it was sometimes hard to concentrate on their own opponents.

One night they sat in silence, watching over the city and enjoying each other's company. "Don," Raph said suddenly, "If you could go back in time and change the past, would you?"

Donatello stared out over the city, knowing full well that his brother was referring to the times when they had lost their other family members. "Honestly? I don't know. Leo and Mikey and Master Splinter would still be here, but we wouldn't be close, not like we are now. Shredder would still be on the loose too, you fought him after I left." He paused.

Raphael nodded. "That's true. I have often wondered why I survived. Why wasn't it Mikey or Leo, why me? I actually thought that it wasn't worth it to live without my family." He looked at Don. "Now I'm glad. I would never have seen you again; I wouldn't have known that anyone was still alive." Tears misted in both turtle's eyes before Raph grunted and wiped his eyes, trying to keep up his façade of toughness.

Don grinned a bit and turned away, respecting his brother's want for privacy. He stood and stretched. "Feel like a bit of a run?"

Raph smiled. "Always. Where to?"

"Maybe over to the other side of town, near Shredder's old headquarters."

"Sounds like a plan. Race you!" Raph yelled as he took off, Donnie at his heels.

It took them only minutes to cross the city. What they found there stopped them in their tracks. The shell of Shredder's headquarters was visible in the distance. The building had been burned beyond recognition, with several of the top floors collapsing. The courtyard was littered with rubble and broken and discarded weapons from the last major battle that had destroyed most of the building.

In the remains was an unmistakable figure. A man in silver armor with a spiked helmet under his arm, a samurai sword slung at his side. The turtles exchanged a glance, it wasn't possible, but there he was. The Shredder was back.

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	10. Author's Plea

Ok guys, this story could go one of two directions and I think I'm either going to finish it and then write an alternate ending, or I can go down one of two directions, the original ending or the new one.

I need input here because you are the ones reading it. Please let me know how you think this should go. That's why I haven't updated for a long time, because I can't figure out what to do.

PM or review your responses please!


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